Youthful Exuberance
by Smaniby
Summary: Something is amiss at the King house. What have those boys gotten into this time? This is a response to the FB group story prompt to have one of the King boys show love for an iconic 80's character.


_AN: This is a response to the SMK fanfiction FB group story prompt posed by Lanie: "Write a story of 2000 words or less with one of the boys indulging in a little fan love, whether it be a movie, TV show, listening to a record, hanging a poster, or perhaps watching MTV, since they still played music then (or come up with one of your own) and another character witnessing said fan devotion and saying, "I don't get what you see in...(insert object of fan love) and have the boy explain why they appreciate their idol/crush." Thanks to Lanie for the inspiration - I truly would not have thought of it otherwise. I also have to thank my little brother for being born in 1974 so I would have a clue what little boys would have liked during that time. I don't own any of the characters referenced herein._

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Amanda King stretched her arms – she had been sitting in her kitchen, balancing her budget for 45 minutes. She was grateful for her part time work, especially since she had recently been allowed use IFF as her cover employer. She had been resorting to increasingly ludicrous pet emergencies to cover her absences and she had been worried that her mother would get fed up and insist on more details. Having a boss that "required" her presence made it easier for her to leave at a moment's notice. Still, she sometimes felt like one of those circus performers that had to balance a plate on the end of a stick while riding a unicycle. It was only going to take one or two emergencies to send her whole budget spiraling out of control. At least she had things figured out through this billing cycle.

Amanda heard a loud thump and rose out of her chair. She went to the front hall, expecting to see guilty little boy faces, but instead her mother, Dotty West, was digging through the closet and muttering, "Now where did I put that?"

"What are you looking for?" Amanda inquired.

Dotty's voice came floating from under a pile of coats, "I'm looking for the fur stole Great Aunt Edna gave me – I wanted to wear it on my date tonight. I could have sworn it was hanging in this closet!"

Amanda shrugged and replied, "Maybe it's hiding in the same spot as the vacuum cleaner wand – I couldn't find it anywhere yesterday."

Just then, Amanda heard the television blare from the den. She muttered, "I told those boys no TV until homework was complete – I better make sure they remembered."

Dotty stood up and said, "I'll come with you – maybe one of them has seen my stole."

Amanda and Dotty entered the den to see Jamie huddled under a blanket watching his new favorite TV show. Philip walked in and said, "Oh Man! Is he watching He-Man again?"

Dotty was puzzled, "Did you say He-Man? Is that his actual name? His parents named him that?"

Philip rolled his eyes and said, "It's his hero name – Prince Adam turns into He-Man."

Dotty was still confused. "So that muscular blond woman is He-Man?"

Philip explained, "No – that's Prince Adam, and he's a guy with long hair. He turns into He-Man."

Dotty said, "I see," in a voice which clearly indicated that she did not, in fact, see anything.

"Oh boy," Philip said, "Here he goes."

As Prince Adam began to hold his sword aloft, Amanda and Dotty were shocked to see Jamie jump up and pull the vacuum cleaner wand from under the blanket. He thrust it toward the ceiling, shouting, "By the power of Grayskull, I have the POWER!" He began making thunder noises with his mouth as he threw off his blanket.

Amanda stifled a laugh as she took in his outfit. He had Great Aunt Edna's fur stole wrapped around his waist and held in place with a belt. His torso was naked except for two more belts wrapped criss-cross to form an X in the center of his chest. It was a pretty decent approximation of He-Man's loincloth and scanty armor. Amanda was grateful he hadn't raided her closet for boots to complete the look.

Dotty took it in and muttered, "I hope he's wearing something under that stole."

"Mother! I think it's very creative," Amanda said, smiling as she took in Jamie's youthful exuberance.

Philip looked at Jamie and said, "I don't get what you see in He-Man. I mean, he looks exactly like He-Man when he is Prince Adam and everyone acts like they can't see it – they have the exact same face!"

Dotty looked at the muscle-bound cartoon character and quipped, "Maybe they aren't looking at his face."

"Mother!" Amanda rebuked, hoping Philip and Jamie did not catch the innuendo.

As the commercial came on, Jamie turned around and said, "Philip is just jealous because Linda Montez said she thought He-Man was cute. I think he's cool."

"How come?" Philip asked, sticking his tongue out at Jamie as he waited for his reply. "Do you think he is cute, too?"

Jamie said, "No, I think it's awesome the way he protects his family from the bad guys like Skeletor. Prince Adam could tell everyone that he is He-Man and take all of the glory, but instead he just protects them and keeps it a secret so they don't worry about him and stuff. I think that's cool."

Amanda smiled and hugged Jamie, saying, "I think that's cool, too. But I do think Mother would prefer that you leave her fur in the closet next time, and I would like it if you put the vacuum wand back when you are done."

"Okay, Mom, I will," Jamie replied as he began to unbuckle his belt. Philip whipped out his hand to stop him and said, "Jeez, junior – wait until you are somewhere private to do that!"

At this point Dotty could no longer hold in her laughter as she said, "You know what Jamie – why don't you just keep that for a while. I think I need to have it dry cleaned before I wear it again anyway."

"Cool!" Jamie yelled, turning back to watch the TV as the show returned from commercial break.

At that moment, Amanda caught a familiar glimpse of movement at the kitchen window. She said, "I think I am going to get some air – that budget took a lot out of me." Dotty replied, "All right – and I am going to go upstairs and plan my backup outfit for tonight."

Amanda exited to the backyard and motioned Lee to the gazebo. He gave her a grin and said, "You look like you have your hands full today!"

"Hello to you too, Lee," she teased. "Believe me, you don't know the half of it. You should see the way Philip salivates when Knight Rider comes on."

"Does the show have a pretty girl?" Lee asked.

"No, a pretty car," Amanda replied, chuckling.

Lee said, "Oh, well I can understand that! Listen, I'm here because Billy wants you to help me with a job tomorrow, and I wanted to give you some case notes to review tonight." He pulled an envelope out of his jacket and handed it to Amanda, along with a stack of items from her mailbox. "I figured you could tell your mother you just checked the mail."

"Thanks, that's a good idea."

Lee and Amanda both stood up and Lee said, "Well then. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned to walk away, but only got two steps before turning around. "You know, I couldn't help but overhear what Jamie said about his cartoon character protecting the people he cares about in secret. It sounded like someone we both know."

Amanda smiled and said, "Yes, you do a great job protecting people."

Lee smiled back, and as he turned to leave, he gave a wink and replied, "I wasn't talking about me."


End file.
